45 ships that ensure the theft of Ukrainian grain and its export to global markets have been identified by the Ukrainian special services, and 43 of them have been sanctioned.
Elchi.az reports that this was announced by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andrey Sibiqa, on his “X” account.
“In 2025, Russia stole more than 2 million tons of Ukrainian grain from our temporarily occupied territories and exported it to the markets of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. The ports in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea were used to carry out this illegal trade. Thus, a shadow grain fleet was created,” Sibiqa noted.
According to him, Ukraine has imposed sanctions on 39 captains of the ships belonging to the mentioned fleet.
“We are also monitoring the companies involved in this illegal trade. They will all feel the power of Ukrainian sanctions,” the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry warned.
Sibiqa called on European countries and the “Frontex” agency, which ensures border cooperation, to work in a more coordinated manner and prevent these actions by Russia.
“We have experience in combating Russia’s shadow tanker fleet. Now it is necessary to stop Russia’s shadow grain fleet as soon as possible. In 2026, the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Baltic Sea must be cleared of any shadow fleet of Russia,” Andrey Sibiqa emphasized.